Press for operating upon metal and other sheets



'1 ,41 6 ,877 Patented May 23, 1922.

C. J. RHODES AND T. H. WEBB. PRESS FOR OPERATING UPON METAL AND OTHER SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2|. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- 0.1. RHODES AND T. H. WEBB. PRESS FOR OPERATING UPON METAL AND OTHER SHEETS. APPLLCATION FILED JUNE 21, I919.

Patented May 23, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. I

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CHARLES JOSEPH RHODES AND THOMAS HENRY VIEBB, OF VJ'AKEFIELD, ENGLAND.

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PRESS FOR OPERATING UPON NEE'IILL AND OTIHER SHEETS.

Application filed June 21,

To all wi l cmit may concern:

llc known that Y CHARLES Josnrn RHODES, chairman of directors. and THoMAs llamas? been, general manager, both subjects ot the Kingdom of Great Britain, residingat Grove Tron lVorks, Wakefield, England. have invented certain new and use- .l l mprovcments in or Relating to Presses for Operating upon Metal and Other Sheets of which the following is a specification.

T his invention comprises certain improvements in or relatingto presses for operatin; upon metal and other sheets, and refers particularly to the mechanism for feeding the sheet.

In this type of mechanism, provision has been incorporated for advancing the sheet in two Advantageously the directions. sheet is advanced backwardly and forwardly in lateral directions, and is advanced in a vertical direction or a direction transversely to these lateral directions, at the end of each traverse. In a press for severing a series of sheet metal or other blanks from a sheet, these blanks may be successively out after each of a series of intermittent lateral movements of the sheet, and the arrangement may be such that in each traverse the positions at which the metal is stamped or out are staggered in relation to the positions at which the metal is stamped in the preceding traverse. In the case oi. circular stampings, the blanks are thereby out with the waste of a minimum amount of sheet metal.

The present invention has for its purpose to provide for the accurate location of the sheet prior to each stampingor pressing operation. In cases in which a series of blanks are desired having special markings thereon. it is the practice to apply these markings to the sheet before subjecting it to the stamping process. To stamp the blanks from the sheet so that the markings shall be appropriately positioned upon the blank necessitates the accurate locating of the blank in predetermined position prior to each stamping operation; it is to this process of accurate location that the present invention is particularly directed.

he type of this class of mechanism to which this invention particularly relates is that in which a carrier member is provided adapted tor the attachment thereto of the sheet or the equivalent, said carrier member being adapted to be intermittently advanced or displaced by a pawl, and in which provision which is mechanically actuated positively (as distinguished from spring actuatcd autmnatically) is lllCOi'POlfltGCl in addition to the. feeding means, for locating the sheet atter each feeding operation. Accordinp to the present invention, in this type of mechanism. in the locatin; action the car rier member is adapted to be engaged by a part which in the act of engaging moves in a direction essentially transversely to that oi. the movement of said carrier member. The said part :nlvantae'eously takes the term of a slide working in a guide which is immovable longitudinally of the direction of movement of the carrier member, said slide having a ti-shaped or equivalent extremity adapted to engage within V-shaped or equivalent notches in the carrier member.

A brake is also provided in connection with the carriage; this brake is adapted to be automatically disengaged duringthe en gagemcnt of the indexing device.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended explanatory drawings, upon which Figure l is a plan view 01" a mechanism according to the. present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1-3 is a taco view of the gripper member and its supportingtrame hereina'ttcr interred to.

ln a convenient embodiment oi? the present invention, the carriage c is provided with a bar of metal having at intervals along its length V-shaped notches b. At right angles to this bar a bolt 0 is adapted to slide having a V-shaped extremity adapted to engage within any one of the said notches. llelow the notched bar a brake (Z is provided and adapted to engage with the carriage or a part provided thereon. This brake is also adapted to move towards and away from the carriage in parallelism with the locating bolt 0.

The locating bolt (1 and brake (Z are each adapted to be actuated respectively by cams c, f, sliding: in directions parallel with the direction oi movement of the carriage. These sliding cams are collectively reciprocated by any suitable mechanism. Through a rod a shaft 71 is appropriately oscillated, which shaft furnished with a lever arm by which a longitndii'ial reciprocatory movement is imparted to the longitudinally slid ing cams e, fthrough the medium of a link j. The cam surfaces of these cams are so located, and the cams are adapted to be so actuated, that after the carriage has been displaced or fed by the pawl x which is adapted by appropriate means to intermittently advance the carriage, the brake is disengaged and the locating bolt is then advanced by its cam into the notch in the bar with which it cooperates, to thereby precisely position the carriage prior to the stamping operation.

The cam e for operating the locating bolt is supported at the rear by two Lshaped blocks is which are in turn controlled by powerful springs Z. These blocks function as resistance pieces by virtue of which the cam is adapted to displace the locating bolt. If by any reason it should happen that the carriage is advanced in an excessive degree so that the notch in the bar thereon is completely beyond the nose of the locating bolt, the cam for actuating the locating bolt is still enabled to reciprocate longitudinally by virtue of the spring-mounted blocks in relation to which it operates.

A spring m is suitably incorporated in the locating bolt to withdraw it at the appropriate time, n is a spring for operating the brake (Z.

The carriage e is adapted to carry a frame 0 which supports a gripper member 10 adapted to be engaged with the upper edge of the plate. For this purpose the frame 0 may be rigidly provided with a bracket 0 which may be secured in any appropriate manner to the carriage 0. This gripper member is adapted intermittently to descend by gravity, being automatically released after each lateral feed traverse and retained by a subsequent stop (1'. These stops are located upon a vertical member 9 adapted to be automatically oscillated and according to the present invention the said vertical member is located centrally or substantially centrally in the width of the gripper p for the sheet metal. Said gripper is thus effectively balanced in relation to the vertical feeding means therefor; it is not liable as a result of wear to change its position in such manner as would detract from the accurate location of the sheet during the stamping operations. Conveniently the frame by which the gripper is carried comprises two vertical parallel rails or runways, with each of which two spaced rollers 7 carried by the gripper cooperate; the four rollers carried by the gripper are located in the positions of the corners of rectangle or square, and the gripper is thus maintained in a position whereby it feeds the sheet in a precisely vertical line. By vertical is meant vertical as viewed from the aspect of elevation facing the sur face of the sheet. Advantageously the sheet is inclined as viewed from its edge during the stamping operations.

W hat we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Sheet feeding mechanism for power presses and the like, including a carrier member mounted for movement in a right line and having spaced notches, a guide immov able longitudinally of the direction of movement of the carrier member, and a locating slide, arranged for movement in said guide and having means to engage the notches of said carrier member.

2. Sheet feeding mechanism for power presses'and the like, including a carrier member mounted for movement in a right line and having spaced notches, a guide immovable longitudinally of the direction of movement of the carrier member, a locating slide, arranged for movement in said guide and having means to engage the notches of said carrier member, a cam to operate said slide, and a resilient yieldable means to actuate said cam.

3. Sheet feeding mechanism for power presses and the like, including a carrier member mounted for movement in a right line and having spaced notches, a guide immovable longitudinally'of the direction of movement of the carrier member, a locating slide, arranged for movement in said guide and having means to engage the notches of said carrier member, a brake for the carriage, and releasing means for the brake operable during the locating operation.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses. 

